Basic techniques in the kitchen: here are which ones to learn for excellent training
You are at the beginning of your career and would like to learn the main ones well basic cooking techniques ? Like any self-respecting training, even between flames and pans it is necessary to know the ABCs of cooking and food preparation processes.
There are so many basic cooking techniques that allow it to be achieved balanced dishes with excellent taste , we have selected some.
Here, then, are 10 unmissable techniques for preparing your next courses.
10 basic cooking techniques you absolutely must know
If it is true that the beginning of every good journey starts on the right foot then it is also true that, if you want learn to cook professionally and become a real chef, training that includes the most important basic cooking techniques is necessary. Let's see them together:
1. Marinade . Widely used in the preparation of fish, meat and vegetables, this technique serves both to soften and flavor foods before cooking them, and to replace the cooking itself. The food is then immersed in a mixture made of spices, oil, vinegar or lemon juice (but also wine or beer) and left to rest for a certain period of time.
2. Baking in foil . With this technique it is possible to cook most foods, as long as they are closed inside a "package" that preserves their aromas and flavors. The foil can be made, for example, of aluminum, with baking paper or with vegetable leaves.
3. Creaming . From the Spanish term "manteca" which means butter, this process is used above all with risotto, which, once removed from the heat, is creamed with butter or cheese.
4. Roast. A good roast usually takes advantage of the creation of hot air through the use of dry heat that reaches the food directly. It is an irregular heat that reaches at least 150 centigrade and which acts on meat, fish, potatoes or other ingredients, to give preparations a truly unmistakable taste.
5. Flambage. It literally means "to set on fire" and in this case, to be able to do so, you need a highly alcoholic liqueur or distillate to be chosen based on the taste you want to obtain. Being, therefore, a rather spectacular technique, it is often performed directly in front of the guests.
6. Smoking. Also in this case the word suggests the process: it involves smoking food with the smoke that comes from burning wood. Originally it was used to keep food for longer, today it is also used to give it a different aroma.
7. Sous vide cooking. Here, the food is sealed in a hermetically sealed bag (without air inside) and immersed in water with a temperature between 65° and 95°, or in a steam oven. The advantages linked to this technique are numerous: the foods, in fact, do not become dry and retain their flavour; they last longer; they are cooked evenly and the process is easier and quicker than many others.
8. Brazing. Once upon a time the verb "braise" was used to indicate cooking food with embers, without direct contact with the flame. This technique is now mainly applied to red meat and involves two phases: in the first the ingredient is browned and in the second it is immersed in a liquid based on wine, vinegar or milk.
9. Gratinating. To make a dish crunchy, this is the right technique! The food is sprinkled with breadcrumbs, oil, parsley or other spices and everything is baked for a few minutes.
10. Stewing. A technique like this involves both sautéing and boiling the food. Usually, in fact, the ingredient (meat or vegetables) is fried first and then the liquid part (broth or water) is added for slow cooking over a very low heat.
How to learn the basic techniques to use in the kitchen with Congusto courses
We have mentioned some of the basic techniques in the kitchen, but to know these cooking methods in depth and become an impeccably trained chef It requires a lot of study and practice. Then why not sign up for one of the courses Congusto Institute ?
If you are a beginner, you can find several on our site amateur cooking courses , such as Basic cooking course , dedicated to those who wish to acquire fundamental knowledge in the choice and management of foods and in their conservation, presentation and preparation.
Or, if your goal is to increase your skills to become a real chef, among others professional cooking courses , you can choose the Course to become a chef which allows you to build the foundations of a solid gastronomic culture, together with the presence of renowned and award-winning chefs.
Discover the training paths available, choose the one that's right for you and learn the main ones with us basic techniques to use in the kitchen !
